San Diego Astronomy Association Board of Directors Meeting April 12, 2016 –Unapproved and Subject to Revision

San Diego Astronomy Association Celebrating Over 50 Years of Astronomical Outreach

May 2016 http://www.sdaa.org A Non-Profit Educational Association P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215 May Program Meeting Date: May 18, 2016 Speaker: Dr. Warren Skidmore Topic: Thirty Meter Telescope Next SDAA Business Meeting May 10th at 7:00pm Dr. Skidmore will talk about the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) observatory con- 7270 Trade Street struction activities, San Diego, CA 92121 the exciting scientific questions that drive the building Next Program Meeting of a giant telescope, May 18, 2016 at 7:00pm how the observa- Mission Trails Regional Park tory is designed to Visitor and Interpretive Center support a range of 1 Father Junipero Serra Trail scientific studies and about the engineering solutions that CONTENTS have been devel- May 2016, Vol LIV, Issue 5 oped to overcome Published Monthly by the the problems of San Diego Astronomy Association constructing and Incorporated in California in 1963 operating a giant May Program Meeting...... 1 diffraction-limited April Minutes...... 2 observatory. (The TDS Work Party...... 4 site is on Mauna For Sale...... 4 Kea and currently TDS Trash Collection...... 4 in litigation with Astronomy Week in SoCal.....5 natives.) May Calendar...... 6 SDAA Contacts...... 7 2016 TDS Schedule...... 8 Space Place Partners Article.....9 Astronomy Cartoons...... 11

San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA) sponsors speakers on a wide range of astronomy topics on the third Wednesday of every month at the Mission Trails Regional Park Visitors Center. The program meeting begins at 7pm. Each attendee Newsletter Deadline receives one free door prize ticket. After announcements and a small amount of busi- The deadline to submit articles ness, the audience is treated to the featured presentation. At the close of the meeting for publication is the the door prizes are presented. The event is open to the public. The Mission Trails Re- 15th of each month. gional Park Visitors Center is at One Fr. Junipero Serra Trail, San Diego CA 92119. Call the park at 619-668-3281 for more information or visit http://www.mtrp.org. San Diego Astronomy Association

San Diego Astronomy Association Board of Directors Meeting April 12, 2016 –Unapproved and subject to revision

1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 7:03pm pm with the following board members in attendance: Mike Chasin, President; Greg Farrell, Vice President; Gene Burch, Treasurer; Nick Andrews, Corresponding Secretary; Dave Decker, Director; Michael Vander Vorst, Director; Dennis Ritz, Director, and Dave Wood, Director. Members Pat and Grady Boyce joined.

2. Approval of Last Meeting Minutes The minutes of the February meeting were approved as published in the Newsletter.

3. Priority / Member Business • Pat and Grady Boyce presented their proposal for Pad 2 removing the RoboScope and replacing it with a 11.5'x9" wood observatory similar to Carl Gismondi's. It has a roll off roof 7'3" tall, 3' tall rolled off. The roof has room to roll and concrete pad is in place. Electrical will be battery supplied and trickle charged off the always on circuit during the day so as to not interfere with voltage spikes and TARO operation. It will contain a remotely operable C11 and PlaneWave CDK 20" supporting outreach for secondary school students. They are particularly interested in speckle interferometry and double stars, photometry and spectroscopy. The Board unanimously approved the plans. . 4. Treasurer’s & Membership Report Gene presented the treasurer’s report and it was approved.

5. Standard Reports a. Site Maintenance – TARO Progress noted. b. Observatory Report – Ed and Jim installed some mouse-proofing in the Lipp, and turned off the pump heat lamp. Reminder to turn it back on this fall. c. Private Pad Report • We’ve leased 2 pads in the last week and are down to 9 pads available. We have 3 members actively looking at pads and I expect at least 2 of them will end up leasing one. • Both Mark Smith and Allen Pellymounter's pad usage waiver requests were granted. d. JSF – The committee had a kick-off meeting and we have a few new members that are ready to jump in: Scott and Mary Jo Dixon and John LaBorde. Mary Jo has agreed to work with me on the volunteer coordinator role. We have a new food vendor this year, the CERT team that has managed the parking for us for several years now has a food truck with a very extensive menu and lots of help to ensure good service for our attendees AND their profits go to support the non-profit CERT. Gene made the JSF meeting, a larger merchandise budget was discussed, and older merchandise will be sold too. We are starting to put all the pieces together so stay tuned for updates! e. Program Report – Greg reported Russ Genet, PhD gave an interesting presentation at the March member meeting. This month the IDA is presenting. Not sure about Science Fair winners, in the past IDA and SDAA winners were presented. In May Dr. Warren Skidmore will present on the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea, currently in litigation with natives. June looking for presentations on outreach from OSIG, TARO and Boyce BARO programs. f. AISIG Report – Good talk at the last meeting, although the Blue Jeans presentation/sharing system wasn’t too great. g. Newsletter Report – Impressive work by Andrea K as always. h. Website Report • Maintaining both the old and new sites until the interface to Wild Apricot is completed. Dave showed test site and Gene discussed implementation of Wild Apricot automated membership website and existing SDAA website. Going well; Gene, Jerry and others are testing and refining. • Added West Sycamore Star Parties to the SDAA Calendar and events page. Removed ATM. • Initiated JSF website and mailing list for 2016. Can turn on applications when requested.

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i. Outreach Report-OSIG • Star party at new site in West Sycamore was very well supported by SDAA and is expected to grow because of easy access, dark skies, and publicity by Mission Trails, San Diego Space Network, and Scripps Ranch Civic Association. It will be on the fourth Friday of the month beginning on 22 April. • Only two school star parties are on the schedule. They are tapering off due to PDT and the end of the school year. • Tour season at Palomar Observatory has started. Tours are at 1100 and 1330 on Saturday and Sunday from April to the end of October. • Pauma Reservation asked for support from SDAA and Kin scheduled a series of talks for school groups at the reservation. • Dennis A will head up the KQ Ranch Star Parties this summer. • Ben G will host 4 events at Paso Picacho State Campground. j. Merchandise Report • Merchandising sales have slowed down, but it looks like [email protected] was sent $140.27 through PayPal on March 15. I cannot confirm the PayPal payment was made, so whoever is in charge of the PayPal account should let me know, at [email protected]. Since that royalty payment in March, we've sold 3 items, for another $15 towards the next payment. • In February I was contacted by Gene Burch, and we briefly discussed how to liquidate the remaining physical merchandise the club still has: T-Shirts, Polo Shirts, and Sweatshirts. I cannot store these items at my home, and I don't make it to every public event, so I'm still not sure how to liquidate these items. Maybe at JSF, there could be a clearance sale or volunteer bounty (Random raffle of the last remaining items, for volunteers at JSF?) I may not be able to make it to JSF (again, grr!), so I can't yet volunteer to coordinate that effort. k. New Member Mentor Report – No report l. Rising Stars Report – Michael VV reports the Preuss School will have a star party May 27 at TDS. m. TARO/Observatory C – Dave gave an update, the instrument is in place and bugs being worked out. The first light picture was shown and very nice. It is running SkyX and Maxium DL, getting all the software and hardware drivers connected is ongoing. An adaptor needs made for the autofocuser pickoff to come to focus. It is looking good and Michael reported Terry's widow is pleased with the progress. n. Cruzen Observatory – Dennis presented the SD County PDS building permit and plans for the Cruzen Observatory 'C" site. Sowards and Brown Engineering drew plans and made calculation for $ 850.50 and Planning and permitting cost $ 881.04 for the permit, total $ 1,771.54. There may be be additional small permit and Sowards and Brown costs. Dave will contact the TARO concrete constructors for a quote on the 20'x42' pad and Dennis will get a quote from the north pad construction firm. Pad and pier construction is the biggest job, the TeleStation 5 is aluminum prefab and we have several at TDS now. It will house SDAA scopes, including the f18 14.5", for member use. Depending on the pad placement and final slope, it may need a small retaining wall riser on the upside to keep dirt from washing down.

6. Old Business a. Insurance Renewal- Done, includes TARO and Cruzen. b. TDS Spring Cleanup, Saturday May 7. A dumpster will be brought in for trash and discards. Mike VV will get food and Dave W will be the chef feeding all the hungry workers. c. Membership/Accounting transition - Discussed above d. Call for other Old Business- None.

7. New Business a. Cruzen Observatory Budget -Will be included in SDAA budget next month. b. Private Observatories Dues - Discussed tax elimination and contribution for private observatories, Dennis will develop ideas. c. Call for other New Business – None.

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SDAA Work Party @ Tierra del Sol

SDAA again needs volunteers to maintain our observing site at Tierra del Sol, SDAA’s most valuable asset. Having a dark sky site with utilities, pads, and a warming room, is a luxury that most other astronomy clubs can only dream about. SDAA has always relied on our legendary volunteers to develop and maintain this facility. On May 7th, SDAA will host a working party to rejuvenate the site. Work will commence at 09:00 and run into the early afternoon. There will be breaks for water, rest, and lunch (bring your own) and a festive BBQ for the workers will provided by SDAA at the end of the day. Objectives for this year are the removal of brush and cactus, replacement of electrical covers, cleaning of the warming room, etc. No specialized skills are required. There are a wide variety of tasks that can be matched to your physical capabilities. We hope to muster 30 individuals who want to make a lasting impact on the site and thereby enhance the experience for future TDS visitors. We promise that at the end of the day you will be well fed, and that you will feel a real sense of accomplishment.

For Sale:

PRICE REDUCED: TEC 140 f/7 ED APO with superb optics in pristine condition. Comes with a custom made hard case, rings, Losmandy dovetail plate, Astrophysics 50mm illuminated finder scope, Telrad, and an Astrophysics 2” Max- Bright diagonal. Was $4800 now only $4400. John Kuhl, [email protected] or 858-547-9887.

Meade 7-inch f/15 Mak - $499, Discovery 15-inch f/5 truss Dob with 12x80 finder and Telrad - $995. Discovery 8-inch f/5 Newtonian OTA - $149. Call Nick (619) 370-5705.

Losmandy G11 Gemini2/ Digital Drive with all the bells - $2000.00, Lodestar mono - $300.00, Truis 694 mono - $1500.00, WO FLT98 with two flatteners - $1500.00, Standard Spica Flat - $100.00. All items come with many extras. Manuel Cravo 760-500-9912, [email protected]. PayPal/cash.

A Note About TDS Trash Collection

There is no such thing. There is no such service that properly disposes of the trash placed in the trash receptacles in the restrooms at TDS as in urban areas. Various club members are kind enough to take care of the trash. The last time I was at TDS the trash was full in both restrooms. Most of it was trash unrelated to normal restroom activities including various containers that should have been recycled and some that were practically full of water that I had to remove and dump out. Please note that waste from food and drinks should be taken off site by those who brought them and not disposed in the restrooms. If you pack it in, pack it out. Please ensure your guests also understand. Thank you, Your Editor

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Astronomy Week in Southern California: June 12 through June 18

Southern California is the place to be for astronomy in the third week of June. It's time to make your plans.

June 12-16: The American Astronomical Society's (AAS) Summer Meeting will be held at the Bayfront Hilton in downtown San Diego. Hundreds of astronomers and students will be attending presentations, poster sessions and exhibits. To see the full schedule and register, go to https://aas.org/meetings/aas228

June 16-18: The Society for Astronomical Sciences (SAS) Annual Symposium will be in session at the Ontario Airport Hotel. Nearly two hundred professional and amateur astronomers will be presenting their research papers, attending workshops and networking on future projects. You can see the details at the SAS website: http://www.socastrosci.org/home.html

June 12: There will be a FREE workshop for small telescope research presented by the Institute for Student Astronomical Research (InStAR) and hosted by Boyce Research Initiatives and Education Foundation (BRIEF). SDAA members are especially welcome to attend this event at San Diego's Hilton Bayfront Hotel downtown.

Opportunities for Student Astronomical Research in Southern California

Meet and Greet -- 11:00 to 12:30 No host brunch gathering at the Fox Sports Grill at the Hilton Meeting -- 12:30 to 5:00 in the Cobalt Room Here are some of our experienced speakers and the topics we will cover: • Dr. Russ Genet, past President of the Astronomy Society of the Pacific • Bob Buchheim, President of the Society for Astronomical Sciences (SAS) • Dr. John Kenney, Chair of the Astronomy and Physics Department of Concordia University • and more to be announced at our website soon.

Overview of small telescope research opportunities for amateurs, professionals and students The Astronomy Research Seminar - its importance, history and future as a key STEM component The astronomy community and its connections to SAS, AAVSO, schools and universities How to publish your seminar student research through InStAR and Collins Foundation Press InStAR and BRIEF resources provided for schools, instructors and students nationwide Student experiences and outcomes - lessons learned and impact on their careers Expansion of the astronomy community, seminar, resources and research areas Q&A - How to start the seminar at your school and tailor it to your school's needs and programs

For more information and to register for this free workshop, go to Research Opportunities Workshop.

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May 2016

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stars in the Park TDS Spring New Moon Cleanup

Member Night TDS

8 9 10 11 12 13 14

SDAA Business Stars at Mission Space Day Meeting Trails

15 16 17 18 19 2 0 21

Solar at Scripps SDAA Program Ranch Meeting Full Moon Community Fair

22 23 24 25 26 27 28 KQ Ranch AISIG Meeting West Sycamore Public Star Party TDS

29 30 31

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SDAA Contacts Club Officers and Directors President Mike Chasin [email protected] (858) 210-1454 Vice President Greg Farrell [email protected] (858) 705-0065 Recording Secretary Brian McFarland [email protected] (619) 462-4483 Treasurer Gene Burch [email protected] (858) 926-9610 Corresponding Secretary Nick Andrews [email protected] (858) 215-0479 Director Alpha Dave Decker [email protected] (619) 972-1003 Director Beta Dennis Ritz [email protected] (619) 890-7480 Director Gamma Michael Vander Vorst [email protected] (858) 755-5846 Director Delta Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808 Committees Site Maintenance Bill Quackenbush [email protected] (858) 395-1007 Observatory Director Jim Traweek [email protected] (619) 207-7542 Private Pads Mark Smith [email protected] (858) 484-0540 Outreach Kin Searcy [email protected] (858) 586-0974 N. County Star Parties Jerry Hilburn [email protected] (858) 877-3103 S. County Star Parties -Vacant- [email protected] E. County Star Parties Dave Decker [email protected] (619) 972-1003 Central County Star Parties Kin Searcy [email protected] (858) 586-0974 Camp with the Stars Jerry Hilburn [email protected] (858) 877-3103 K.Q. Ranch Coordinator Michael Vander Vorst [email protected] (858) 755-5846 Newsletter Andrea Kuhl [email protected] (858) 547-9887 New Member Mentor Dan Kiser Mentor @sdaa.org (858) 922-0592 Webmaster Jeff Stevens [email protected] (858) 566-2261 AISIG Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808 Site Acquisition -Vacant- [email protected] Field Trips -Vacant- [email protected] Grants/Fund Raising Jerry Hilburn [email protected] (858) 877-3103 Julian StarFest Hillary Griffith [email protected] (619) 890-5267 Merchandising Rich Wilkinson [email protected] (858) 357-7404 Publicity -Vacant- [email protected] Loaner Scopes Ed Rumsey (858) 722-3846 Governing Documents TBD TDS Network Dave Wood [email protected] (858) 735-8808 Amateur Telescope Making -Vacant-

Have a great new piece of gear? Read an astronomy-related book that you think others should know about? How about a photograph of an SDAA Member in SDAA Editorial Staff action? Or are you simply tired of seeing these Boxes in the Newsletter rather Editor - Andrea Kuhl than something, well, interesting? [email protected] Assistant Editor: Craig Ewing Join the campaign to rid the Newsletter of little boxes by sharing them with the membership. In return for your efforts, you will get your very own byline or photograph credit in addition to the undying gratitude of the Newsletter Editor. Just send your article or picture to [email protected].

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2016 TDS SCHEDULE

DATE MOON DATA SUNSET ASTRO TWILIGHT

May 7 S- 8:47p 1% 7:32p 9:04p

28 R- 1:08a 50% 7:46p 9:25p PUBLIC

Jun. 4 S- 7:31p 1% 7:50p 9:30p

25 R-11:49p 74% 7:57p 9:38p PUBLIC

Jul. 2 S- 7:17p 5% 7:57p 9:37p

9 S-11:33p 26% 7:55p 9:35p PUBLIC

30 S- 5:06p 14% 7:44p 9:17p

Aug. 27 R- 2:42a 16% 7:14p 8:20p PUBLIC

Sep. 3 S- 8:37p 4% 7:06p 8:30p

24 R- 1:39a 28% 6:37p 7:59p PUBLIC

Oct. 1 S- 7:10p 0% 6:28p 7:50p

22 R-12:28p 43% 6:03p 7:25p PUBLIC

29 S- 5:45p 1% 5:56p 7:19p

Nov. 19 R-10:17p 69% 4:41p 6:07p PUBLIC PST

26 R- 4:41a 3% 4:39p 6:06p

Dec. 17 R- 9:02p 84% 4:42p 6:10p PUBLIC

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NASA Space Place Astronomy Club Article April 2016 This article is provided by NASA Space Place. With articles, activities, crafts, games, and lesson plans, NASA Space Place encourages everyone to get excited about science and technology. Visit spaceplace.nasa.gov to explore space and Earth science!

Hubble Shatters The Cosmic Record For Most Distant Galaxy By Ethan Siegel

The farther away you look in the distant universe, the harder it is to see what's out there. This isn't simply because more distant objects appear fainter, although that's true. It isn't because the universe is expanding, and so the light has farther to go before it reaches you, although that's true, too. The reality is that if you built the largest optical telescope you could imagine -- even one that was the size of an entire planet -- you still wouldn't see the new cosmic record-holder that Hubble just discovered: galaxy GN-z11, whose light traveled for 13.4 billion years, or 97% the age of the universe, before finally reaching our eyes.

There were two special coincidences that had to line up for Hubble to find this: one was a remarkable technical achievement, while the other was pure luck. By extending Hubble's vision away from the ultraviolet and optical and into the infrared, past 800 nanometers all the way out to 1.6 microns, Hubble became sensitive to light that was severely stretched and redshifted by the expansion of the universe. The most energetic light that hot, young, newly forming stars produce is the Lyman-α line, which is produced at an ultraviolet wavelength of just 121.567 nanometers. But at high redshifts, that line passed not just into the visible but all the way through to the infrared, and for the newly discovered galaxy, GN-z11, its whopping redshift of 11.1 pushed that line all the way out to 1471 nanometers, more than double the limit of visible light!

Hubble itself did the follow-up spectroscopic observations to confirm the existence of this galaxy, but it also got lucky: the only reason this light was visible is because the region of space between this galaxy and our eyes is mostly ionized, which isn't true of most locations in the universe at this early time! A redshift of 11.1 corresponds to just 400 million years after the Big Bang, and the hot radiation from young stars doesn't ionize the majority of the universe until 550 million years have passed. In most directions, this galaxy would be invisible, as the neutral gas would block this light, the same way the light from the center of our galaxy is blocked by the dust lanes in the galactic plane. To see farther back, to the universe's first true galaxies, it will take the James Webb Space Telescope. Webb's infrared eyes are much less sensitive to the light- extinction caused by neutral gas than instruments like Hubble. Webb may reach back to a redshift of 15 or even 20 or more, and discover the true answer to one of the universe's greatest mysteries: when the first galaxies came into existence! 9

San Diego Astronomy Association

NASA Space Place Astronomy Club Article April 2016

Images credit: (top); NASA, ESA, P. Oesch (Yale University), G. Brammer (STScI), P. van Dokkum (Yale University), and G. Illingworth (University of California, Santa Cruz) (bottom), of the galaxy GN-z11, the most distant and highest-redshifted galaxy ever discovered and spectroscopically confirmed thus far.

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MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION Send dues and renewals to P.O. Box 23215, San Diego, CA 92193-3215. Include any renewal cards from Sky & Telescope or Astronomy magazine in which you wish to continue your subscription. The expiration date shown on your newsletter’s mailing label is the only notice that your membership in SDAA will expire. Dues are $60 for Contributing Memberships; $35 for Basic Membership; $60.00 for Private Pads; $5 for each Family membership. In addition to the club dues the annual rates for magazines available at the club discount are: Sky & Telescope $32.95 and Astronomy $34. Make checks payable to S.D. Astronomy Assn. PLEASE DO NOT send renewals directly to Sky Publishing. They return them to us for processing.